Container and retaining means

ABSTRACT

A flexible container, apparatus and method for producing same are provided, the container being particularly applicable for the sealed retention of articles of clothing. The walls of the container are made of flexible, heat sealable plastic film forming an envelope about the contents. In a preferred form, the envelope is totally sealed so as to seal the contents therein to protect them for mildew and insects such as moths. A holding and hanging device, such as a plastic or metal wire hanger, extends partly into the container while a hooked portion thereof passes through an opening in the upper seam of the container. If the hanger is made of plastic, it may be heat sealed to the plastic film to totally enclose the interior of the bag. If the hanger is made of wire, the plastic film may be heat bonded thereto to hermetically seal the interior of the container.

United States Patent [191 [111 3,776,372 Lemelson Dec. 4, 1973 CONTAINER AND RETAINING MEANS [76] Inventor: Jerome l-l. Lemelson, 85 Rector St., [57] ABSTRACT Metuchen, NJ. 08840 Filed: Feb. 3, 1972 Appl. No.: 223,279

A-flexible container, apparatus and method for producing same are provided, the container being particularly applicable for the sealed retention of articles of clothing. The walls of the container are made of flexible, heat scalable plastic film forming an envelope about the contents. In a preferred form, the envelope is totally sealed so as to seal the contents therein to protect them for mildew and insects such as moths. A holding and hanging device, such as a plastic or metal wire hanger, extends partly into the container while a hooked portion thereof passes through an opening in the upper seam of the container. If the hanger is made of plastic, it may be heat sealed to the plastic film to totally enclose the interior of the bagflf the hanger is made of wire, the plastic film may be heat bonded thereto to hermetically seal the interior of the container.

9 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEDUEE 41915 3.776.372

FIG.4

FIGZ

. l I CONTAINER AND RETAINING MEANS SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION as between seasons, wherein the garment may be sub-- ject to the attack of moths, mildew and other insects, or may absorb moisture or other air pollutants. While it is generally the procedure of persons who seek to preserve their garments to place them in a special stor-- age container such as a zippered garment bag, such a container may be unavailable to'rnany persons, frequently overstocked or inconvenient to use at alltimes. Furthermore, the conventional zippered garment container is frequently opened and closed such that there is no guarantee to the user that it will assure protection of the garments therein from the attack of insects such as moths. 7

It is accordingly a primary object of the invention to provide a new and improved container with a hanging or retainingmeans secured thereto.

Another object is to'provide a flexible container for clothing which contains novel hanging means both for the container and clothing retained therein.

Another object is to provide clothes hanging and retaining means including a flexible plastic bag which is totally sealedto protect the clothes held thereby from insects, moisture and other contaminants.

Another object is to provide a flexible bag container for clothing with means for preventing the shifting of clothing within the bag.

Another object is to provide a relatively simple apparatus for bagging clothing in a container which includes a hanger and for totally sealing the clothing within the container. v

With the above and such other objects in view as may hereafter more fully-appear, the invention consists of the novel constructions, combinations and arrangethe neck 18 of a plastic coat hanger 17 extends. While the upper and lower borders of the envelope contain heat sealing or weld lines 13 and 14 completely across the envelope,.the side borders thereof may be integrally joined as the result of the blowextrusion of the enve lope to shape or, as illustrated in FIG. I, may contain heat seal or weld lines 15 and 16 extending the complete length of the envelope. v The hanger I7 is preferably injection molded of thermoplastic resin such as polystyrene, polyethylene, polypropylene, cellulose acetate butyrate, or other suitableresin and is shaped with a hook portion 19 joined to the neck portion 18 which extends to a garment retaining portion composed of outwardly and down'wlatdly'e tending legs 20 and 20' joined by c'urved end portions 21 to a crossbar portion 22. Shown in broken line notation is a pair of pants P which are centrally disposed in a hanging attitude on the cross bar portion 22 and a jacket S which is drooped over the legs 20 in the con-' ventional manner. 7 v

To assure total hermetic sealing of thecon tents of the flexible envelope 1], the upper seal line 1 3 extends across the neck portion ofthe' hanger on both flat sides ments of parts as will be more fully described and illus-- trat'ed in the accompanying drawings, but it is to be understood that changes, variations and modifications may be resorted to which fall within the scope of the invention as claimed.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1' is a face view of a container in the shape of an envelope made of flexible material and having clothing retained therein on a hanger, part of which hanger is sealingly retained within the envelope while a hooked portion thereof extends outwardly from the envelope;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the upper portion of the container of FIG. 1;

FIG/3 is a face view of the upper portion of a modi- 5S container assembly within the purview of the instant invention.

In FIG. 1 is shown an assembly 10 composed of a flexible envelope 11 which is made of heat sealable thermoplastic film or laminates including such film and has front and rear walls 12 and 12 whichare joined together along all edges of the envelope with the exception of a central upper portion thereof through which of said neck portion. Notation l 3' refers to a line seal extension of the seal line 13 between the wall 12 of the bag or envelope while a similar seal line is also effected between the opposite wall 12' of the envelope and the opposite surface of the neck 18 of the hanger.

the clothing to centrally retain said clothing within the envelope. Notation 22' refers to a recess in the cross bar portion 22 of the hanger into which recess may be disposeda chemical such as camphor or other insect killer or preservative.

In FIG. 3 is shown a modified form of the invention wherein the hanger is modified. The hanger 17' of FIG.

3 is composed of a hooked portion 19, a neck portion 18', an upper cross bar 31 joined to a lower cross bar 32 by means of rounded end portions 33. The upper and lower cross bars are parallel to each other and normal to the longitudinal direction of the flexible bag or envelope 30 so that the seal line 13 extends parallel and adjacent to the upper edge of the cross bar 31 and is supported thereby. The hanger33 of FIG. 3 may be used to hang articles of clothing such as skirts, pants, drapes and the like denoted D in FIG. 3. As in the construction illustrated in FIG. 1, the sealing along the upper border of the envelope 3 3 is effected by a lateral weld line 13 between contacting opposite wall portions of the envelope which weld line extends as sealing lines 13 between opposite walls of the envelope and the opposite faces of the neck 18' of the hanger.

In FIG. 4 is shown an envelope assembly of the type described employing a metal hanger 17" the neck portion 18" of which extends between opposite walls of the envelope. The plastic material of the opposite walls of the envelope is preferably either stretched around the neck portion 18" of the wire hanger to effect a seal thereacross or is bonded thereto by means of an adhesive or heat appliedthrough a die. Plastic film such as polyvinyldiene chloride or an ionomer resin may be used for the walls of the envelope or a coating or laminate thereof and will heat-bond to the opposite surfaces of the neck of the hanger by the application of sufficient heat and pressure to dies forming part of the die assembly used to heat seal the borders of the envelope. The neck portion 18' of the wire hanger of FIG. 4 may be coated with a heat sealable plastic such as polyvinyldene chloride or an ionomer resin such as Surlyn A manufactured by the E. I. DuPont Company of Wilmington, Delaware. I

Additional forms of the invention are illustrated in FIGS. 1-4 and are noted as follows:

I. Due to the fact that there is unsupported plastic film between the angulated sealing lines 23 and the lateral upper seal line 13 of the container of FIG. 1, such film will ordinarily drape downwardly against the front or rear face of the envelope. If this is not acceptable, the upper seal line 13 may be eliminated if the angulated seal lines 23 and 24 on both sides of the hanger are extended completely from the weld lines 15 and 16 or borders of the envelope to the welding'line 13' extending across the neck of the hanger. Thus, angulated seal lines 23 and 24 may be provided as tear seals extending parallel to and just above the outwardly and downwardly extending legs of the hanger so that the excess material above said tear seal lines maybe removed providing a seal defining the upper end of the envelope or bagwhich is parallel to and adjacent the hanger legs 20.

2. A plurality of envelopes of the type shown in FIG. 2 may be formed of an elongated tube of plastic film and disposed in tandem to be fed from a roll supply thereof with each envelope containing lateral weld lines similar to 13 and/or lines 23 and 23 formed along selected lengths of the envelope and tear lines extending laterally perhaps 18-30 inches below the seal lines, thereby necessitating that only seal lines 13 and 14 be made in order to provide a closure once a hanger and article of apparel or other textile material supported thereby is disposed within the envelope as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. In other words, the longitudinal side seals 15 and 16 may be eliminated and the need to ef feet lateral seals to the openings through which the neck of the hanger is pushed is also eliminated by the user of the envelope if the above structure is provided. If such a structure is provided with adhesive material coating or forming the portions of the opposite walls of the bag along the band areas defining the weld lines 13' and 14 of FIG. 1, then pressure alone applied to said areas may be utilized to totally seal the hanger and article of apparel within the envelope without the need for the employment of a complex heat sealing machine. The sealing lines 13 on each side of the neck of the hanger may be formed by manual or otherwise provided pressure against the film after the hanger is disposed as located in FIG. 1 and sealings lines 14 may provide a seal across the bottom of the envelope by manual pressure applied thereto, assuming that material of the envelope or coatings thereon are pressure sensitive and may be sealed together by compressing the proper portions of the envelope walls together.

Apparatus utilized to form the envelope assemblies described may include resistance heat dies if the plastic I film is such polymers as polyethylene, polypropylene or the like or electronically heated dies employing radio frequency energy generated thereacross if the plastic.

film is such a polymer as polyvinyl chloride.

A further improvement in the structures shown in lope. For example, the central portion of the cross bar 22 of the hanger 17 of FIG. 1 may be spot sealed or spot bonded to the front wall 12 of thefplastic bag to keep it centered within the envelope. In FIG. 3, the upper cross bar 31 may be spot or line scaled to both the front and rear walls of the bag or may have one or more tab-like border portions which are so sealed to the sealing line 13. I

FIG. 5 shows another modified form of the invention. An envelope 40 made of front and rear wall portions 42 and 43 contains a special flat plastic hanger 45 sealed therein and preferably containing a garment or other textile article supported by a lower bar portion 47 thereof. The lower bar portion 47 is joined to an upper bar portion 46 by curved end portions 48 of the hanger. I The upper end of the envelope contains a seal line 41 sealing the front and rear walls of the envelope together beyond the ends of an extension 46' of the upper bar portion 46. The seal is extended as sealing lines 41 between the front wall portion 42 of the envelope and .the front face of the extension 46 of the upper bar portion of the envelope and the rear wall 43 and the rear face of the extension 46'. Thus the hanger is sealed along substantially its entire length to the envelope along the upper border of the envelope and a total seal is effected 'across the upper border of the envelope. Notation 49 hole in it for supporting a wire hanger within the envelope.

I claim:

1. A flexible packaging assembly for retaining an article sealed within a container comprising;

an envelope having major front and rear wall portions formed of thin sheet material made of a heat scalable thermoplastic resin, said front and rear wall portions being joined together along their longitudinal and lateral edges, a hanger for an article formed of a heat scalable thermoplastic resin, said hanger having a neck portion and being shaped at the upper end of said neck portion to permit the hanger to be held from above, the walls of said envelope being separated from each other along a portion of the upper lateral edge of the envelope with a portion of said hanger extending through the separated portion of said envelope with the remaining portion of the hanger being disposed within the envelope, means thermoplastically welding and hermetically sealing the material of both of said walls of said envelope to opposite surfaces of that portion of the hanger extending through said separated portion of the envelope, said shaped upper end of said neck portion of said hanger extending beyond the upper end of said envelope whereby the hanger and envelope sealed thereto may be held from above, and an article held by said hanger within said envelope. 2. A packaging assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein said neck portion of said hanger has substantially parallel opposite surfaces which are heat sealed to the opposite walls of said envelope, said walls being separated by said neck portion of said hanger extending through the separation in said envelope.

3. A packaging assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein said hanger is a clothes hanger having a hook portion forming part of said shaped upper end of said neck portion and extending beyond the upper end of said envelope, said sealing means comprising respective sealing lines extending between respective portions of the front and rear walls of said envelope and respective front and rear surfaces of the neck portion of said hanger and also extending completely around the neck portion of the hanger so as to completely hermetically seal the upper end of the packaging assembly.

4. A packaging assembly in accordance with claim 3 wherein the joining of said front and rear wall portions of said envelope along the upper lateral border of said envelope is effected by respective weld lines extending laterally from said portion of said envelope which is separated to respective longitudinal edges of said envelope and extend respectively to said weld sealing lines between the front and rear surfaces of the neck portion of said hanger and the front and rear walls of said envelope so as to provide a continuous hermetic seal across the upper end of said envelope.

5. A packaging assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein an article 'of clothing is drooped over and hangs downwardly from said hanger, and a seal line extends laterally across said envelope below the lower end of said article of clothing.

6. A packaging assembly in accordance with claim 5 including at least one additional seal line between the front and rear wall portions of said envelope disposed so as to prevent the shifting of the article within the envelope.

7. A packaging assembly in accordance with claim I wherein the sealing between said hanger and said front and rear walls of said envelope is effective to hermetically seal the article of clothing held by the hanger within the envelope.

8. A packaging assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein said hanger is composed of first and second parallel laterally extending bar portions which are space separated and disposed one above the other and joined at their ends with the lower bar portion containing an article drooped thereover and hanging downwardly therefrom, and a sealing line extending completely across the upper end of the envelope parallel to the upper bar portion of said hanger along the edge thereof joining the front and rear walls of the envelope together.

9. A packaging assembly in accordance with claim 8 wherein the opposite faces of the upper bar portion of said hanger are sealed to the opposite walls of the enve- 

1. A flexible packaging assembly for retaining an article sealed within a container comprising: an envelope having major front and rear wall portions formed of thin sheet material made of a heat sealable thermoplastic resin, said front and rear wall portions being joined together along their longitudinal and lateral edges, a hanger for an article formed of a heat sealable thermoplastic resin, said hanger having a neck portion and being shaped at the upper end of said neck portion to permit the hanger to be held from above, the walls of said envelope being separated from each other along a portion of the upper lateral edge of the envelope with a portion of said hanger extending through the separated portion of said envelope with the remaining portion of the hanger being disposed within the envelope, means thermoplastically welding and hermetically sealing the material of both of said walls of said envelope to opposite surfaces of that portion of the hanger extending through said separated portion of the envelope, said shaped upper end of said neck portion of said hanger extending beyond the upper end of said envelope whereby the hanger and envelope sealed thereto may be held from above, and an article held by said hanger within said envelope.
 2. A packaging assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein said neck portion of said hanger has substantially parallel opposite surfaces which are heat sealed to the opposite walls of said envelope, said walls being separated by said neck portion of said hanger extending through the separation in said envelope.
 3. A packaging assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein said hanger is a clothes hanger having a hook portion forming part of said shaped upper end of said neck portion and extending beyond the upper end of said envelope, said sealing means comprising respective sealing lines extending between respective portions of the front and rear walls of said envelope and respective front and rear surfaces of the neck portion of said hanger and also extending completely around the neck portion of the hanger so as to completely hermetically seal the upper end of the packaging assembly.
 4. A packaging assembly in accordance with claim 3 wherein the joining of said front and rear wall portions of said envelope along the upper lateral border of said envelope is effected by respective weld lines extending laterally from said portion of said envelope which is separated to respective longitudinal edges Of said envelope and extend respectively to said weld sealing lines between the front and rear surfaces of the neck portion of said hanger and the front and rear walls of said envelope so as to provide a continuous hermetic seal across the upper end of said envelope.
 5. A packaging assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein an article of clothing is drooped over and hangs downwardly from said hanger, and a seal line extends laterally across said envelope below the lower end of said article of clothing.
 6. A packaging assembly in accordance with claim 5 including at least one additional seal line between the front and rear wall portions of said envelope disposed so as to prevent the shifting of the article within the envelope.
 7. A packaging assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein the sealing between said hanger and said front and rear walls of said envelope is effective to hermetically seal the article of clothing held by the hanger within the envelope.
 8. A packaging assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein said hanger is composed of first and second parallel laterally extending bar portions which are space separated and disposed one above the other and joined at their ends with the lower bar portion containing an article drooped thereover and hanging downwardly therefrom, and a sealing line extending completely across the upper end of the envelope parallel to the upper bar portion of said hanger along the edge thereof joining the front and rear walls of the envelope together.
 9. A packaging assembly in accordance with claim 8 wherein the opposite faces of the upper bar portion of said hanger are sealed to the opposite walls of the envelope. 